Grilling Safety

by Jamie Lettis

Last updated in July 2016

We love grilling and with good reason: Burgers, seafood, chicken, ribs, even otherwise yucky veggies are delicious cooked over an open flame. Whatever’s on your menu, everything tastes better with a heaping helping of safety. Here’s a recipe for safe grilling:

Food safety (because salmon is yum, salmonella not so much)

To avoid cross-contamination, keep raw meat and eggs away from anything else you will be eating. When meat is cooked, put it on a clean plate.

Rinse fruits and veggies under running water to remove bacteria.

Keep meat, fish, and poultry at 40° F or below until just before cooking.

Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. If time is short, immerse packaged food in cold water to thaw, or thaw meat in the microwave.

Marinate food in the refrigerator, not at room temperature, and don’t reuse marinade.

Be sure meat is thoroughly cooked. Use a meat thermometer to check that poultry is cooked to at least 165° F, hamburgers to 160° F, and other meats (steaks, roasts, chops, etc.) to a minimum of 145° F.